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29/10/2004: "Tawney Shark in the Shallows ....also called a Nurse Shark."
As learner to the crystal seas we all wrongly believed sharks would not bother us in shallow water. Today we realise that a shark in shallow water is more of a hazard than in deeper water where there is at least more room to manoeuvre around each other.
This tawney/nurse shark will give any learner a big fright but nothing else. It's good to be able to ID any shark then you can mostly relax. Surprisingly, some dive experts I've known are not too bright at getting it correct, even with white pointers, but this was in the old era pre pay TV.
Dorsal fins are an easy ID to memorise. The species pictured above has two dorsal fins nearer the tail, as does a grey nurse. It's an easy way to ID both these low hazard level sharks. But beware the twin dorsals belonging to the dreaded LEMON SHARK. A cranky shark at the best of times.
